Types Of Horse Racing Bets
Betting doesn’t have to be rocket science. Keep it simple by choosing a horse with a cool name. Or one that’s wearing your favorite color. But if you’re the analytical type who wants to consider a horse’s racing history, learn how to read a Racing Form and try your hand at handicapping.
- In the U.S., most states that allow betting on horse racing use the pari-mutuel system. This is also known as pool betting and is commonly used in short sporting events such as horse or greyhound racing where the participants finish in a ranked order.
- Alongside your straight wagers, standard exotic markets and multi-bets, many of the best online bookmaking websites offer a selection of horse racing specials. Most popular among these is the mystery bet, where you choose the bet type, set the stake size, and a random number generator will pick the horses for you.
- Each way betting is so popular in horse racing because of the difficulty in predicting the winner. In football there are only two sides and three possible results, but racing, like golf – another sport on which each way betting is common – has many competitors, with races like the Grand National having 40 horses or more competing.
- People have been betting on horse races since horses have been running. Betting on the outcome of formal horse races can be fun and profitable if you know what you’re doing and can beat the odds. Betting on Horse Racing For Dummies offers lots of info to help better your odds including advice on what.
Placing Your Bet
A popular betting type among punters, it consists of four selections and 15 bets (hence the name) – four singles, six doubles, four trebles and a fourfold. Equivalent to a Yankee but with four singles, and only one selection must win to guarantee you a return. For example, a £2 Lucky 15 would cost £30.
The easiest way to place your bet or wager is at the counter. Let the teller know the following information:
- The racetrack (remember, you can bet on races at other tracks)
- The race number
- The dollar amount you want to bet
- The type of bet
- Your horse’s number
Different Bets In Horse Racing
Ex. “At Santa Anita, third race, five dollars to win on number two.”
Types of Bets
There are many kinds of bets. But let’s start with the basic ones:
Win, Place and Show.
Win — If your horse finishes 1st, you win $$$.
Place — If your horse finishes 1st or 2nd, you win $$.
Show — If your horse finishes 1st, 2nd or 3rd, you win $.
Exotic Bets or Combination Wagers
Across the board — Three equal Win, Place and Show bets.
- If your horse finishes 1st, you win all three bets.
- If your horse finishes 2nd, you win on the Place and Show bets.
- If your horse finishes 3rd, you win on the Show bet.
Exacta — Pick two horses in one race. If they finish 1st and 2nd, in exact order, you win.
Quinella — Pick two horses. If they finish 1st or 2nd, in either order, you win. Also known as an Exacta Box.
Trifecta — Pick three horses. If they finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd, in exact order, you win.
Superfecta — Pick four horses. If they finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th, in exact order, you win.
Daily Double — Two specific races make up the Daily Double. Pick one horse in each race. If they finish 1st in both races, you win. You have to make your bet before the first race.
Pick 3 — Similar to the Daily Double, but for three consecutive races.
Pick 4 — Similar to the Daily Double, but for four consecutive races.
Pick 6 — The biggest bet you can make. Pick the winning horse in six consecutive races. If you win, you win big.
If no one picks all six winners, those picking 5 out of 6 will split 30% of the Pick Six pool. The remaining 70% “carries over” to the next racing day, and will continue to do so each day until someone correctly chooses 6 winners out of 6 races.
Watch and Win
After placing your bet, watch your horse run. If your horse comes in the money, sweet! But don’t plan on buying a private jet just yet. Wait until the race has been declared “official”. Then collect your winnings at any window.
Automated Betting Machines
Types Of Horse Racing Bets Cheat Sheet
Once you’re familiar with placing bets, you can try using one of the self-service, automated machines. These easy-to-use machines are available at every track and offer simple directions on how to bet or collect money from a winning ticket. Easy peasy.